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Fees & FAQs
All of it on one page, with the prices next to the thing they buy. Nothing here requires you to ring up and ask.
The short version
| What it is | Fee |
|---|---|
| First phone callAround 20 minutes, with a therapist. To work out whether we are the right place, and what might help. | Free |
| First meeting50 minutes. For parents, or for a young person coming on their own. | £75 |
| Ongoing session50 minutes, usually weekly at the same time. | £65 |
| Family session75 minutes, often with two therapists in the room. | £110 |
| Parent consultation50 minutes, without your child present. | £75 |
| School meeting or written reportOnly with your consent, and only when it is useful. Charged per hour. | £65 |
| Reduced-fee placeWe hold six places each week at a lower rate. Ask Mel — there is no means test and no form. | £30 |
Six each week at £30. No means test, no evidence, no form. You ask Mel and she tells you whether one is free. If they are all taken we will say roughly how long the wait is, and tell you who else locally holds low-cost places rather than leaving you to search.
Forty-eight hours’ notice and there is no charge. Less than that and the full fee applies, because the hour is held for you and cannot be filled at short notice. Illness happens; if it is a genuinely unavoidable week, tell us and we will use our judgement rather than a rule.
Bank transfer, per session or monthly. There is a card reader if you prefer. We never ask for payment in front of a child, and we never discuss money in a session.
Two things people ask about money
Some policies cover counselling for children and young people; many require a GP or psychiatrist referral first, and some exclude therapy delivered by counsellors rather than clinical psychologists. Ring your insurer before you ring us and ask them, specifically, whether they cover a BACP-registered counsellor. We can invoice in whatever format they need.
Say so directly. Private therapy is expensive and pretending otherwise helps nobody. Beyond our reduced-fee places, we will point you at the school counselling service, at local charities that run free youth counselling in the district, and at the right NHS route. We would rather spend ten minutes doing that than have you not ring at all.
Frequently asked
Including the ones people apologise for asking.
No. Most families contact us directly. You do not need a diagnosis, a letter, or a referral from anyone. If your child is already under CAMHS or another service, do tell us — it helps us avoid pulling in different directions, and occasionally it means we suggest waiting.
Usually two to four weeks for a first meeting. Reduced-fee places sometimes take longer. If the wait is going to be longer than a month we will say so on the first phone call rather than leaving you wondering.
We do not know at the start, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing. Some children come for six sessions. Some come for a year. We review together after six sessions, then roughly every eight, and ending is planned rather than sudden.
No, and this is deliberate. Children and young people need to know that what they say stays in the room, or they will not say it. What you will get is a sense of the themes, how the work is going, and anything you need to know to help at home. The exception is safety: if we are worried that your child, or another child, is at risk of serious harm, we act on that. We explain this to your child at the start, in words they understand, so nothing comes as a surprise. There is more on our safeguarding page.
Young people aged 16 and over can contact us themselves and consent to their own therapy. Under 16, we will normally need a parent or carer involved — but "involved" can mean knowing it is happening and paying for it, not being told the contents. We are honest with young people about exactly where that line sits.
That is very common and it is not a reason to give up. Sometimes the answer is a parent consultation instead, where you come without them. Sometimes it is a first session where nothing is expected of them at all — they can look at the room and leave. We would rather have a reluctant young person who came once and chose to return than one who was marched in for ten sessions.
We hold six reduced-fee places each week at £30. There is no means test and no form to fill in. Ask when you call. If we are full, we will tell you who else locally has low-cost places rather than leaving you to search.
Sometimes, and only with your consent. A short call with a head of year can change how a week goes for a child. We charge for meetings and written reports because they take real time, and we will always tell you the cost first.
Every therapist here is registered with BACP, UKCP, HCPC or AFT, holds an enhanced DBS check, has professional indemnity insurance, and is in regular clinical supervision. We are happy to show you any of it.
Give us 48 hours and there is no charge. Less than that and we charge the full fee, because the hour is held for you and cannot be filled. Illness happens; if it is a genuinely unavoidable week, say so and we will use our judgement.
Most stay in the waiting room, which has decent chairs, a kettle and reliable wifi. Some go for a walk or into town — it is a six-minute walk to the centre of Stroud. For younger children we usually ask you to stay in the building.
The ground floor — reception, the waiting area, the accessible toilet and two of the three therapy rooms — is step-free from the car park. The third room is up a flight of stairs and there is no lift; we simply move that work downstairs when needed. Full detail, including sensory information, is on our space.
For young people aged 13 and over, and for parent consultations, yes. For younger children we very rarely do — the work depends on the room, the materials and the floor. Online sessions are the same length and the same fee.
It happens, and it is worth knowing in advance. Naming something out loud for the first time can unsettle a few weeks at home. Tell us if that starts — it changes what we do next, and it is not a sign that therapy is failing.
No. We are therapists, not psychiatrists. We do not diagnose ADHD or autism and we cannot prescribe. We can help you think about whether an assessment would be useful, and we work with plenty of families while they wait for one.
Short factual notes, stored encrypted, kept for seven years after a young person turns 18 as our insurers require, then deleted. You can ask to see them. See privacy & records.
You would ring and ask Mel. If it were a clinical question she would pass it to a therapist and one of us would call back — usually the same day, always within one working day.
A twenty-minute phone call with a therapist costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Most people find it clarifies things quickly.